


Skin deep

by chaos_monkey



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Aftercare, BDSM, Bloodplay, Bondage, Choking, Dom!Ar'alani, Dom!Eli, Established Thranto, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Het and Slash, Humiliation, Impact Play, Knifeplay, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Subspace, Threesome - F/M/M, Voyeurism, but only sort of, sub!Thrawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:07:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaos_monkey/pseuds/chaos_monkey
Summary: Reunited once again in the Chiss Ascendancy, Thrawn and Eli wind up getting some... expert assistance from Ar'alani, on a matter of an extremely personal nature.Assistance, and a demonstration as well.
Relationships: Ar'alani/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Ar'alani/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35
Collections: Under the Knife





	Skin deep

**Author's Note:**

> -So one day in Discord I voiced the random thought “I wonder who Thrawn would do knifeplay with, I just.. can’t see Eli doing it to him ever, but I can see Thrawn enjoying having it done to him”, Amrita_Vein suggested Ar’alani and made some _fucking delicious_ art, and then a few of us suddenly needed to write fic about it all. 
> 
> -Mine is set in a universe where Thrawn and Eli were together for awhile before Eli initially left to join the CDF, and Thrawn went back to the Ascendancy with him and Ar’alani at the end of Treason _like he bloody well should have._
> 
> -Translations for my partially made-up Cheunh:  
>  _vit’ta:_ pet / beast / animal  
>  _euhn n’et:_ little thing / little one
> 
> -I’ve tried to tag for everything kink-related even if it’s only minor, just to be on the safe side!

“You will not interfere, Eli Vanto,” Ar’alani said. “If we are going to do this, he is under my control. Not yours. I must be certain both you and he accept that before we proceed.” 

Her tone made it eminently clear that this was not up for negotiation, and Eli glanced down at Thrawn while he let the full meaning of Ar’alani’s words sink in. Thrawn was already naked, mostly hard from anticipation alone; kneeling quietly on the floor in front of them with his legs spread wide and his hands held behind his back, though neither Eli nor Ar’alani had even ordered him to do so. The fact that he had immediately assumed that pose after being told to strip spoke volumes to just how eager he was tonight. 

Thrawn met Eli’s eyes and calmly, without hesitation, inclined his head in that oh-so-familiar nod. Eli could see the expectant tension beneath the calm exterior, though. 

He hesitated a little himself, still, and looked back up at Ar’alani, meeting her steady, unblinking gaze. They’d already talked about this, of course, all three of them— but now that she’d said it like that, now that they were _here…_ Eli realized he _had_ been thinking, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he could always step in if he felt things were going too far. 

But that would defeat the entire purpose of her joining them tonight. 

“Do you trust Mitth’raw’nuruodo to speak if he needs me to stop?” she asked seriously, and Eli nodded, this time without the slightest hesitation. He trusted Thrawn completely… in this, and in everything. 

“And do you trust me to care for him properly?” Ar’alani continued, and Eli nodded again, relaxing. 

He did. 

“Yes. I promise, I won’t interfere.” 

A wicked smile spread over Ar’alani’s face, a predatory glint in her glowing eyes. 

“Excellent. You will sit there,” she said, gesturing to the armchair just off to one side and near the head of the bed. “I don’t care what you do with yourself, but you will remain silent, you will watch, and hopefully, you will learn. If you have questions, you may ask them after we are done.” 

Eli flushed— but he couldn’t deny that she was right. From what Thrawn had said when they first talked about this, Ar’alani had been doing this sort of thing, well, possibly longer than Eli had even been _alive._ He probably could learn a whole hell of a lot from her. 

Particularly when it came to… _this;_ to the entire reason for tonight. 

It had all started when he’d curiously asked Thrawn one night about a thin, faint scar on his stomach. There had been something… different about it, compared to all the battle scars Thrawn had collected over a lifetime of military service, something _cleaner;_ and it definitely hadn’t been there before Eli left Imperial space to join the CDF in the first place. When Thrawn had said he’d done it to himself, Eli had initially been shocked, and more than a little worried— but Thrawn had gone on to explain that he enjoyed it; that he liked the anticipation, the sharp pain and the heady rush of adrenaline, liked the look of the blood and of the blade itself. 

Liked it even more when it was someone else, someone he trusted, holding that blade. 

Liked it _a lot._

The invitation, the not-quite-request had been clear— but Eli had quickly realized it might not be something he could ever actually _do._ Sure, he loved dominating Thrawn in bed; enjoyed the power exchange and their role reversal in private. There was an undeniable thrill in the way Thrawn wanted to be disciplined, roughed up; even humiliated sometimes, and no question that Eli got off on being the one to do that to him. And after more than a decade in total spent serving first under Thrawn, and then with the CDF, Eli was aware he probably knew better than any other human alive just how high the average Chiss’s pain tolerance was. 

But this… 

After thinking about it for a time, he’d been honest and told Thrawn the truth. Much as he wanted to give Thrawn what _he_ wanted, Eli just didn’t know that he could, in this case. Thrawn had suggested they might involve a previous partner of his, Eli had been open to the idea; and now, well— here they were. And while he hadn’t exactly _expected_ it, Eli somehow hadn’t been surprised to learn that Ar’alani was that previous partner. 

He sat in the indicated chair, a renewed thrill of anticipation and excitement flaring through his core at the sight of Thrawn still kneeling patiently in front of Ar’alani. As he shifted to settle himself a little more comfortably, Thrawn’s head turned towards him— and Ar’alani grabbed Thrawn by the hair, roughly pulling his head back, forcing him to look up at her. Thrawn’s stiffened cock jumped, bobbing up between his spread thighs, and a hint of a gasp escaped his lips. 

“He does not exist for you now, _vit’ta._ Tonight, you’re _mine._ ” 

Eli’s eyes widened slightly. That was almost the same tone she used when barking commands on the bridge of the _Steadfast._

 _Almost,_ but not entirely. Her voice still made it clear that she expected to be obeyed, instantly and without question; but was more intense now, threaded through with a sharp undercurrent of dark, heated promise. 

It was… _compelling,_ to say the least, and Eli found himself wondering if the room had gotten a touch warmer since he’d sat down. 

“Yes, Mistress,” Thrawn was saying, bared throat bobbing as he swallowed, his wrists still obediently crossed behind his back. 

Ar’alani regarded him steadily for a moment, unblinking, eyes searching. Thrawn gazed back at her without flinching; and when she released him, he didn’t look away again. 

Eli watched, fascinated, as Ar’alani proceeded to prowl a few slow circles around Thrawn, looking at him appraisingly, up and down; her every motion fluid and somehow _deliberate._ When she finally came to a stop in front of Thrawn again, his eyes fixed immediately back onto her face, and Eli could see his breath quickening already in the rise and fall of his bare chest. 

With a subtle smirk tugging at her lips, Ar’alani began undoing her belt and white tunic, her movements still purposeful and completely unhurried. “Boots.” 

Thrawn promptly went down to all fours, trailed his flattened tongue up the entire length of one of Ar’alani’s black CDF-issue boots, and awkwardly dragged the zip down with his teeth. By the time he’d gotten it fully open, Ar’alani had already finished with her tunic and thrown it to one side, now wearing only a thin white undershirt. 

She also had what looked like black leather straps wrapped around each forearm, Eli noted with interest; though his attention was almost immediately drawn back down to Thrawn licking his way up Ar’alani’s other boot while she began unfastening her uniform trousers. 

Swallowing hard, Eli shifted a little in his seat, his cock thickening slowly in his pants. He’d definitely have to remember this… _boots_ thing. 

“Enough,” Ar’alani said. She made a clicking noise with her tongue and shifted slightly, pulling her foot away just before Thrawn’s mouth made it to the top of the zip. “You’ve gotten slow, _vit’ta._ ” 

A faint frown creasing his forehead, Thrawn sat back on his heels again. He opened his mouth, but Ar’alani continued before he could speak. “Go to the bed and wait for me.” 

Thrawn started to climb to his feet, and Ar’alani reacted immediately, planting her boot— the one he hadn’t managed to undo— on his chest before kicking out, shoving him back and sending him sprawling to the floor. 

He managed to catch himself on one arm, just barely; and Eli couldn’t entirely suppress a grin at the look on Thrawn’s face— an even split between shocked indignation and arousal— as Ar’alani swiftly pressed her booted foot to his chest once again. She leaned forward slowly, her weight pushing Thrawn down to the floor until he was flat on his back, staring up at her with a deep purple flush of humiliation staining his cheeks and creeping up his chest to his neck. 

“How much you forget,” Ar’alani said, a definite edge of steel in her tone. “Do I need to teach you a lesson first?” 

Thrawn’s eyes flashed— the moment stretched— and then his posture changed, _loosened_ somehow; becoming subtly submissive in a way Eli could never quite define. He certainly recognized it, however; and the mere _sight_ of Thrawn submitting like that had his cock straining up eagerly against the unyielding fabric of his uniform trousers in very short order. 

“No, Mistress,” Thrawn murmured, casting his eyes down. 

After a brief silence, Ar’alani eased off again. “Good. Then I believe I gave you an order.” 

The moment she stepped off his chest, Thrawn turned over to all fours again and crawled to the bed, where he waited on the floor while Ar’alani finished undressing without so much as a glance in Eli’s direction. 

Eli chewed on his lower lip, shifting in his chair again. He knew damn well Ar’alani was older than Thrawn by a fair margin— and Thrawn more than a decade older than _him—_ but the Chiss admiral looked nothing short of stunning, her body long and lean, limbs toned and muscular. Reaching up to loosen his collar a little, Eli watched Ar’alani pad silently across the carpet to stand next to Thrawn, twining her fingers in his hair and tugging his head back again, though more gently this time. And then she simply looked down at him for a long moment, her hand lightly caressing his head as he gazed back up at her, nuzzling a little into the touch. 

Stars, they looked _good_ together. 

“Up,” Ar’alani finally said, patting the mattress. “On your back. Hands above your head.” 

Thrawn complied eagerly, and a moment later was in position as ordered, flat on his back with his wrists crossed above his head. He was still hard, his cock lying thick and full on his stomach, and Eli’s gaze wandered appreciatively over him and Ar’alani both as she climbed onto the bed to join him. As she settled down, straddling Thrawn’s stomach just below his ribs, his hips jerked slightly, twitching up behind her ass. 

She didn’t miss it. 

“My… aren’t we eager tonight,” Ar’alani murmured, a smirk playing across her lips. She was leisurely unwinding one of the straps from her forearm as she spoke, and Thrawn nodded, a half-suppressed tremor running through him when Ar’alani stroked the leather band along the line of his jaw and over his lips. 

She slapped the looped leather down across his chest a second later with a faint _crack_ sound and Thrawn jerked, his cock jumping off his belly and his breath catching in a bitten-off grunt. 

“Yes, I know what you want,” Ar’alani murmured, delivering another light blow with the strap and drawing another grunt from Thrawn’s throat, this one slightly higher-pitched. “I know what you _need,_ ” she continued, punctuating the word with a sharper strike over Thrawn’s nipple. He groaned, that time, the sound going straight to Eli’s cock and making his breath hitch. 

“You want to _feel—_ ” 

_Crack._

“— _everything._ ” 

Another _crack;_ another shivering groan from Thrawn. 

“Isn’t that right, _euhn n’et?_ ” Ar’alani asked softly, pausing to grip Thrawn’s jaw tightly. “Is that what you need tonight? To _feel?_ ” 

“Please,” Thrawn said. His voice was barely more than a whisper, his breathing already ragged and unsteady. 

Ar’alani let go and struck him again, harder than before, across the dark peak of his other nipple. “What was that?” 

Thrawn gasped and jerked again, moaning loudly this time. “ _Please._ ” 

“You will,” Ar’alani promised with a dark smile; then she leaned down and covered Thrawn’s mouth with hers, stifling his needy whimper with a fierce, hungry kiss. 

She broke away after a moment, briefly catching Thrawn’s bottom lip between her teeth; then slipped off the bed, pulling his arm out to the side and tying it to the bed frame with the leather strap. Thrawn’s head turned to follow her as he watched intently, his hips shifting in continual, quietly desperate motions. To all appearances ignoring him completely, Ar’alani walked around to the opposite side, unwinding the second strap as she went and securing Thrawn’s other wrist the same way so that his arms were extended out in a T-shape. 

While Ar’alani finished tying Thrawn down at the far side of the bed, Eli took the opportunity to surreptitiously shove one hand down his already-tight uniform trousers. Biting down on a groan, he adjusted his stiffened cock a little more comfortably, giving himself a brief squeeze for relief before withdrawing his hand again. Although a part of him was deeply regretting not being an active part of this, he was, for the most part, finding the silent _watching_ almost unbearably arousing in a different way. It was one thing to take Thrawn apart while half-distracted with sating his own desires; it was another thing _entirely_ to sit idly by and see him being skillfully taken to pieces by someone else. 

And Ar’alani was nothing if not skillful, that much was obvious. She had finished with the restraints, leaving just enough give for Thrawn to flex his arms and shoulders and tug a little to one side or the other, but nothing more. Dragging her nails lightly over his skin as she went, Ar’alani circled around the foot of the bed again, moving back to the side Eli was on. 

Thrawn whimpered, squirming on the mattress as her fingers teased over his body without _quite_ touching his twitching cock, or even a nipple, for that matter; and he very nearly _whined_ when Ar’alani withdrew her hand again. 

“Patience, _euhn n’et,_ ” she chided sternly, opening the drawer of the bedside table and taking out a silver knife, its polished blade glinting in the light. 

Thrawn’s breath hitched, a quiver running through him; and Eli tensed despite himself. 

He hadn’t quite expected they would get to this part so quickly— but to his slight relief, Ar’alani evidently had other plans. She toyed almost idly with the knife for a moment as she regarded Thrawn with her head cocked slightly to one side, and though Eli couldn’t see her face, he could see Thrawn’s red gaze avidly following every movement of the blade. 

And then she placed it carefully on top of the nightstand and left it there. 

“Not yet. First, you will show me you deserve it, yes?” 

Thrawn licked his lips and nodded eagerly, his eyes darting down Ar’alani’s body and back up to her face again. A pleased smile ghosting over her lips, Ar’alani climbed onto the bed again. This time, though, she straddled Thrawn’s face with her knees wide and her ankles hooked over his outstretched arms, staying just a little too high for his open mouth to reach her cunt as he strained up towards it with a soft, breathy whimper. 

One hand fisting in Thrawn’s hair and the other moving between her legs to rub at her own slit, Ar’alani yanked his head back until he met her eyes again— then, holding his gaze, she spread her knees a little wider, lowering herself down just enough for Thrawn to flick the very tip of his tongue up between her lips. 

Eli found himself suddenly having to stifle a groan, his cock throbbing at the sight of Thrawn straining up between Ar’alani’s open thighs, mouth open and tongue out, desperately trying to lick up into her cunt while she kept herself almost out of his reach. 

_Almost—_ but not quite. Eli had the perfect angle to see the bright red of Thrawn’s tongue, fully extended, the tip brushing just into Ar’alani’s dark purple-blue folds while she spread herself open with her fingers; to see Thrawn’s brow furrowing with concentration as he reached as high as he could with Ar’alani’s other hand tightly fisted in his hair and holding him back. 

“Is this what you want?” Ar’alani eventually murmured. She lowered herself slightly and just long enough for Thrawn to get one good lick in; then lifted up again, staying _barely_ but completely out of his reach this time. “Hmm?” 

Thrawn _whined_ in frustration, squirming futilely against his restraints. Ar’alani watched him with a hint of a smirk on her lips, lazily touching herself while Thrawn pleaded; _begged_ to be allowed to taste her properly, his tongue darting out to flicker across her fingers as they moved. She finally relented, rolling her hips forward without warning and grinding down onto Thrawn’s mouth with a throaty hum of pleasure. 

Eli couldn’t stop himself anymore. Closing a hand around his aching cock through his clothes, he squeezed his shaft with a stifled sigh of relief, and settled in to watch Ar’alani fucking Thrawn’s face. 

She kept her hand fisted in Thrawn’s hair the whole while, directing him while he licked and suckled at her cunt; the muscles in her stomach taut and flexing as she rocked back and forth, occasionally hissing commands— _faster, softer, deeper, there—_ over Thrawn’s eager, muffled moans. The initially languid movements of her hips gradually became sharper, more insistent; her nipples stiffening to dark peaks and her chest heaving, her mouth open and her head tilting back as her glowing eyes fluttered shut. 

Her tension kept building visibly, higher, higher; until— with a snarled curse and a shudder that shook through her whole body, Ar’alani came on Thrawn’s face, grinding down hard against his mouth. Thrawn didn’t stop, still mouthing at her as she rode out her orgasm, the soft, wet sounds and his half-stifled whimpers filling the air along with Ar’alani’s shivering groans of pleasure. 

She finally tugged Thrawn’s head down again with a humming sigh, sitting back on his chest as she opened her eyes to look down at him with a lazy smile. “Very good, _vit’ta._ I see you haven’t forgotten everything, after all.” 

Thrawn just looked back at Ar’alani in mute appeal, his short black hair in complete disarray, his mouth glistening wet and his chest heaving under her as he panted for breath. Eli’s own breathing was fairly unsteady, for that matter— he had finally given up the pretense, jammed a hand down his pants, and started stroking himself slowly under his clothes while he watched. Even from his chair, he could tell Thrawn was still rock hard as well, a shiny wet patch on his belly showing where he’d leaked a large puddle of precome onto himself already. 

Without looking, yet somehow still managing to move gracefully, Ar’alani backed down the bed on top of Thrawn until she was straddling his hips with her hands braced on his shoulders. Thrawn trembled slightly, his straining cock twitching up off his stomach and brushing against her cunt; and Ar’alani pushed down to meet him, pulling a needy groan from his throat as she rubbed her slit along the underside of his shaft. Eli was expecting her to string it out and torment Thrawn a little longer, but to his slight surprise, she reached down between her legs, lined herself up, and sank down onto Thrawn’s cock in one smooth, fluid motion. 

She took him to the hilt with a long, low moan, and Thrawn gasped, his back briefly arching off the bed and his hips jerking up under her. Ar’alani _tsk_ -ed again, sliding one hand up to his throat and gripping his neck just under his jaw. 

“You know better than that, _vit’ta,_ ” she hissed, eyes blazing. “ _Don’t_ you?”

Thrawn nodded immediately, whimpering a semi-coherent apology, and Eli could see his entire body tensing, trembling as he visibly forced himself to stay still. 

“Better,” Ar’alani said after a brief pause; then without releasing his throat, she started rolling her hips, rocking back and forth and fucking herself on Thrawn’s cock with slow, luxurious movements. Unlike before, however, she didn’t speed up at all; and it wasn’t long before Thrawn was moaning with every panting breath, writhing slowly on the mattress beneath her, his voice hoarse as he begged her for _more._

Ar’alani leaned down, still circling her hips slowly, almost absentmindedly as she pressed a long kiss to Thrawn’s lips with one hand still at his neck. She finally let go when she pulled away, instead reaching over to pick the knife up off the bedside table as she sat up again. 

Thrawn didn’t seem to actually notice, at first— until Ar’alani rested the tip of the blade on his chest; and then he abruptly went rigid, exhaling a sharp, shuddering gasp of breath as she ran it lightly over his skin. 

His own breathing speeding up with a mixture of nerves and anticipation, Eli watched closely as Ar’alani proceed to trace careful, deliberate lines over Thrawn’s entire torso, her expression one of keen focus mingled with a fierce pleasure. Thrawn remained completely still through it all, his breathing shallow and ragged, his hands clenched in fists, the leather straps pulled taut and what looked like every muscle in his upper body tight and quivering. 

Ar’alani was still moving her hips in steady, smooth circles with Thrawn buried inside her; occasionally slowing as she drew the knife across his skin, but never stopping. Though she hadn’t made so much as a light scratch on him at the very beginning, the blade started leaving incredibly fine, red welts behind it before long— and as she continued, a pattern began to emerge on the canvas of Thrawn’s skin; the individual lines gradually forming a subtly intricate design that followed and accentuated the planes and contours of his body. 

It was, Eli had to admit… beautiful. 

Just as beautiful was Thrawn himself; and Eli barely noticed his own hand speeding up, his orgasm creeping inexorably closer as he stroked his cock harder. Through most of it, Thrawn had been looking down at himself and watching Ar’alani work, increasingly urgent moans and whimpers spilling from his lips with every pass of the blade; but now he threw his head back, his glowing eyes falling shut and a look of absolutely _desperate_ pleasure contorting his features. 

The wordless moans became a hoarse, whispered litany of _please-please-please_ and Ar’alani leaned forward over top of him again, her free hand planted firmly on Thrawn’s shoulder. This time, she raised her hips as well, lifting herself up off his cock until only the very tip was still inside her. 

“Continue,” she said, her voice low and throaty; and like a switch had been flicked, Thrawn immediately planted his feet with a groan and began thrusting up into her, hard and fast, his cock slick and wet and his hips pumping almost frantically. 

The rest of him stayed incredibly still, but the effort it took to do so was obvious. Eli could see the rigid tension in every line of Thrawn’s upper body, his fists clenched tight and taut, corded muscles standing out sharply under his sweat-slick skin. Ar’alani was leaning her weight down onto Thrawn’s shoulder, the hand holding the knife perfectly steady despite Thrawn fucking in and out of her from below— 

She brought the blade down once more, her smouldering gaze fixed intently on Thrawn’s chest— 

Eli’s breath hitched, fingers tightening around his aching cock— 

And Ar’alani drew the knife slowly across Thrawn’s skin one final time. 

Blood welled behind the gleaming silver blade, vivid red against deep blue. Thrawn nearly convulsed on the bed, a raw, primal cry _tearing_ from his throat and the leather straps straining as his back arched and lifted his entire upper body clear off the mattress. 

Ar’alani sank back down onto him again while he came, keeping him inside her as he twitched and shook, his breath coming in deep, sobbing gasps. At the sight of the pure _ecstasy_ twisting Thrawn’s features, Eli’s own orgasm overtook him without warning, and he jerked, biting down on a strangled moan and shuddering silently as his cock throbbed in his hand, his come pulsing hot onto his skin. 

Panting, his head spinning from the unexpectedly intense release, Eli watched Ar’alani place the knife carefully on the bedside table before running the tip of her thumb through the crimson trail of blood that had crept partway down the slope of Thrawn’s chest. As she cupped his face in her hand, tracing her bloodied thumb over his bottom lip, Thrawn shivered, his eyes fluttering open. He raised his head briefly, suckling at her thumb with a broken moan until she slipped it out of his mouth to smear a faint, dark trail over his cheek instead. 

Thrawn’s head dropped back down to the pillow again— but the stunned, glazed look remained on his face, his breath still coming fast and shallow with a soft whimper at the end of every sharp exhale and occasional tremors shaking him from head to toe. 

Ar’alani rested her forehead on Thrawn’s, still gently stroking his cheek and murmuring softly. Her voice was so quiet that Eli couldn’t make out the words, but Thrawn slowly, slowly calmed, his muscles loosening and the tremors that ran through him gradually diminishing. As his breathing finally steadied, the whimpers ceased, and Ar’alani raised her head again, meeting Eli’s eyes for the first time since he’d sat down and nodding her head once in the direction of the refresher. 

Hastily withdrawing his hand from the sticky mess of his underwear, Eli stood and quietly crossed the room to the ‘fresher, where he washed his hands thoroughly and grabbed the medkit before returning to the bedroom. Feeling suddenly awkward and unsure, unwilling to interrupt the moment between Thrawn and Ar’alani, he hesitated briefly next to the bed— but Ar’alani sat up and smiled at him. 

“Come, Eli.” 

Relaxing again, Eli settled down on the edge of the mattress beside the other two. As he twisted to face Thrawn, Thrawn’s head turned towards him, lips curving into an utterly contented smile. 

“Eli?” Thrawn’s voice was hoarse but soft, and it had an almost… _dreamy_ quality to it that Eli had never heard before. 

“Hey,” he answered softly, smiling back and reaching up to run his fingers lightly through Thrawn’s dark, bed-tousled hair. “How you doing?” 

Thrawn’s only reply was a quiet, wordless hum as he nuzzled into Eli’s touch, his eyes drifting shut. He didn’t even react as Ar’alani climbed off him. She stood and stretched, deftly untying Thrawn’s wrists before disappearing into the ‘fresher herself, but Eli couldn’t manage to pay much attention to anything aside from Thrawn himself at the moment. 

Still stroking Thrawn’s sweat-damp hair with one hand, Eli popped the medkit open with the other, his gaze drawn down to Thrawn’s torso as he did. The lighter marks had already faded slightly, still visible but not much more than fine, reddened scratches over his skin. The deeper one, though, the final one, was still wet with fresh blood; a perfectly straight, crimson line several centimeters long, cutting horizontally across Thrawn’s chest a little ways above his nipple. 

After staring at it in fascination for a brief moment, Eli shook himself and pulled out the disinfectant pads to start gently cleaning even the most minor wounds the way Ar’alani had instructed him beforehand. Thrawn seemed to come back to himself a little while Eli worked, carefully making his way up Thrawn’s torso. 

By the time he finished, Thrawn was gazing at him with mostly-clear eyes, reaching up to take his free hand in a tight grip. Eli smiled, squeezing Thrawn’s hand in return and gently wiping his lip and cheek clean of the smeared blood with another fresh pad. After twisting around slightly awkwardly to move the medkit off the bed and out of the way without releasing his hold on Thrawn’s hand, Eli leaned in to press a long, soft kiss to his lips. Thrawn hummed quietly, smiling against his mouth and shifting over just enough for Eli to cuddle in close beside him. 

The bed dipped slightly a moment later as Ar’alani rejoined them, lying down on Thrawn’s other side with her head propped up on one hand. 

“Are you both alright?” she asked, the fingertips of her other hand lightly caressing Thrawn’s arm and shoulder. 

Thrawn turned onto his side between them with a quietly contented sigh, taking Ar’alani’s hand in his and burying his face into Eli’s shoulder. “Yes.” 

Eli wrapped an arm around Thrawn’s still-sweaty back, smiling at the muffled but blissful certainty in Thrawn’s voice. At the realization that they were both unquestionably _better_ than simply all right. 

“I am,” he murmured, meeting Ar’alani’s gaze over Thrawn’s shoulder. “Thank you.” 

He would make sure, later, that she knew his gratitude was for much more than her question alone— though from the quiet smile that touched her lips at his words, he had a feeling she knew already. 

**Author's Note:**

> (All the dialogue was actually in Cheunh, of course, but the italicized terms specifically— _vit’ta_ and _euhn n’et—_ have no good direct translation to Basic. And yes, Ar’alani meant for them to be both debasing and possessive)
> 
> Feedback / constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! This fic covers a lot of new kink ground for me as an author, so I hope I didn't get anything just completely wrong <3  
> (p.s. If you haven't already, check out the other work(s) in the collection!)


End file.
